k-strat

The difference between boys and girls

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:51:00 +0000

The other day I had the following conversation with Chris:

[While watching ESPN on tv, a female reporter came on.]
Me: "I wonder if side-bangs will be one of those things that we look back on five to ten years from now and think how ridiculous they look...You know, like when people feathered their bangs in the 90s?"

Chris: "What are side-bangs?"

Me: "Did you just see that reporter on tv? She had side-bangs."

Chris: "I didn't notice."

Katie: "Okay, well, like Lauren's hair." [Lauren is my sister for those of you who don't know.] "Lauren has had bangs for three of four years now."

Chris: "Lauren has bangs?"

Me: "...you've got to be kidding me."

I don't get it! Is this conversation the result of unfamiliar terminology? Is it simply a lack of observation on Chris' part? The thing is, Chris is usually very observant. He tends to notice things like whether I have a new article of clothing or whether I've painted my nails. Could it be that guys specifically just don't notice hair? I am totally at a loss here!

Enjoying Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0000

I'm doing everything I can to desperately cling to the last remnants of decent weather before winter starts to set in. I'll admit that it has been nice to wake up in daylight lately, but I haven't met a single person who actually prefers to "fall back" except for the extra hour of sleep you get that weekend. I'd much rather wake up in the dark and still have an hour of daylight left in the evening! Anyway, last weekend was a gift in the midst of the cold fronts and rain we've been having lately. I decided to take advantage of it by reading my book outside for awhile. I didn't have an outside chair but I didn't let that impede on my plans. I simply moved an indoor one out there :)

It was wonderful. The sun was shining, the air was relatively warm, but it still had that crisp quality to it that makes fall my favorite season.

I hope you're all enjoying the rest of the season!

Today's Farmville Moment - Cleaning out the cars

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:49:00 +0000

Today when we got home from church we decided to be semi-productive during the Redskins game and vacuum out the cars. It's unseasonably warm here today - I think we passed an electronic sign driving through town that said it had hit 80 degrees. I even wore a skirt to church today, and it's November! We decided that today would be the best time to do it so we wouldn't be standing outside freezing next weekend trying to get it done.

Around here though, when you want to clean or vacuum out your car, people drive their cars right on up into their front lawn! (And when I say "people" do this, I mean I've seen it a handful of times and figured it was a good enough idea that we should do it, too.) I've seen a car on someone's front lawn, one parked in the grass in someone's backyard, and someone driving through their yard to get to the street instead of reversing down their driveway. It really surprised me at first, but it was so helpful when we were moving in to be able to back the moving truck right on up to the front door.

We still had to use an extension cord for the vacuum, but it ended up working out really well. The only negative was that we left tire treads in the front yard where the grass had been smashed down. Since we only did it once though, I think the grass will survive.

H-SC football

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:05:00 +0000

This weekend was the last home football game at Hampden-Sydney. So far the team is undefeated and ranked 17th in the country (before they won again today). Due to soccer games, visiting friends, and having friends come visit us we haven't been to a single football game this year. Since today was their last one, we decided to go! By the end of the first quarter the score was already 31-0.

We really enjoyed it due to the awesome weather, good people, and good food!

Thank goodness for etiquette dinners

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:12:00 +0000

During my senior year in college, my roommates and I decided to participate in an etiquette dinner. It wasn't because we wanted to learn etiquette either... It was because this dinner was a 5-course meal, sounded absolutely delicious, and cost only $5. So we went!

They taught us everything from how to properly cut up our food and which pieces of silverware to use for various courses down to how to accept a toast in your honor, how to give a proper toast, and dinner conversation rules. The lady they brought in to educate us (you would think we were heathens the way she treated us!) was very thorough and very strict. You can imagine how "proper" our dinner conversations were that evening. I believe we even ended up nicknaming her but the name we gave her escapes me now... (Do any of you that came to that dinner remember??)

Anyway, this week has been busy due to a symposium being held at the college. Since I was on the planning committee for the past couple months, I happened to be invited to the dinners this week. We had speakers from all over the place in town for the week: academics, doctors, government officials, you name it! I was trying to make a good impression but when I got to dinner that first night, I had more forks than I knew what to do with! I took a deep breath, sat down and started rifling through any stored knowledge I had from that dinner two years ago. I may not have gotten everything right, but I definitely faked it well enough that no one noticed the difference! I'm so glad I attended that etiquette dinner. I was glad then, too, but more because of a full belly than because of the new manners I had learned.

Exploring the area

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:32:00 +0000

We've had very fortunate weather down here recently for fall. It's definitely rained its fair share, but we've also had warm days. Plus, even on some of our cold days (today), the sun is out which makes it feel warmer out than it actually is. Last week before the time change went into effect I decided to explore a trail that runs off the main road next to our neighborhood. I figured since it was named after our state flower, it had to be good! Plus dogwood trees are gorgeous (my parents used to have out in our backyard), so I figured it would be pretty, too.

It started out nicely, but the sun was setting rapidly so I didn't want to stay out too long.

And I got my wish! About a half a mile to a mile down the trail, it just dead-ended. And where did it dead-end you ask? In the parking lot of the hospital! I don't really get it. It's a short trail that leads from a neighborhood to a hospital parking lot. Oh well...

I tried to walk home through town (the hospital is in town), but of course I got lost. I found my way once I found that main street again, but I was still bummed the trail didn't loop around or even continue for a little longer. Hopefully next time I'll find a more successful path!

Additional benefits to carving a pumpkin

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:40:00 +0000

I love pumpkin seeds. They are so good. Chris was skeptical at first despite the fact that I promised him I had made these last year and that he had liked them. The thing is, he doesn't tend to like anything pumpkin related. Not pumpkin pie, not pumpkin-flavored pastries or bread, pumpkin ice cream, coffee, etc. Well, lo and behold (can I say that?) I made them again and he liked them! They didn't last very long...

Did you vote?

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:40:00 +0000

Due to our experience last year (we had to wait a very very long time in a line that snaked around the block), we decided to get up an hour early this morning to vote so we wouldn't be late to work. It wasn't hard to find our voting location at all. We headed downtown to look for the fire station and they certainly took care to make sure we didn't miss our turn.

This picture doesn't even do it justice. There were signs EVERYWHERE. We figured our wait wouldn't be too bad since this isn't a presidential election and we live in Farmville now, not Arlington. But we still weren't prepared for what we found!

The parking lot was empty! The polls had been open for almost an hour and a half by the time we got there, yet we found out as we registered that we were voters number 48 and 49 for the day. Ridiculous! The other ridiculous thing was that when we presented our voter registration cards, they glanced at them, found our name on a list in their 3-ring binder, crossed us off and sent us to the voting machines without asking for any sort of identification at all.

Anyway, we were in and out with stickers adhered to our chests in under 4 minutes. The longest part of the whole process was trying to figure out which entrance to the building we should use. We had to go back home to sit around and wait so we wouldn't be inappropriately early to work!

All in all we had a good, but very different voting experience from last year. I'll know better next time if we're still living here next election...

Tip-off

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:37:00 +0000

Last weekend was the tip-off banquet for the basketball season. On Friday we hopped on the bus with the team and headed over to Richmond for the annual event.

(Chris and his parents)

It ended up being a lot of fun. The players all seem to be pretty quality guys this year. I still am kind of surprised that basketball has started, but time is flying by faster than I can keep track of recently and I guess it is November already! Anyway, here is a link to this season's schedule if you're interested in catching a game. I'll be there and I'd love for you all to come keep me company in the stands!

Dinner by Chris

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:44:00 +0000

Chris decided to make dinner tonight since it was rainy and gross all day and the Redskins had a bye week. He borrowed a recipe from his mom called Potato Leek Soup. We wrote down all the ingredients, google-imaged a leek (because let's be honest, who knows what a leek looks like???) and then headed to the grocery to see if we could locate some. Thankfully we had some success after a bit of searching!

Chris went to work cleaning and cutting up the leeks. While we were at the store I was thinking that you're supposed to eat the leafy end of the thing, but when we got home and consulted Chris' mom, we found out that was incorrect. Just in case you ever want to eat one of these things, you eat the stalk part of it. I wanted to share this picture though: Chris as the "Statue of Leekerty"

Haha, he was having fun making dinner. And I appreciated it. But, while he was chopping and sauteing the leeks...

...I was busy peeling and chopping up potatoes. Until the vegetable peeler slipped and I peeled a piece of my finger instead :(

After that mishap I decided to make my way out of the kitchen and let him do his thing. I obviously wasn't doing a lot to contribute, so I took my place in front of the fire to wait.

It ended up coming out really well! I was impressed by its deliciousness.

The Halloween Live Blog!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:15:00 +0000

Happy Halloween!!!

I'm going to keep you (and myself) entertained tonight as we pass out candy with a list of my favorite Halloween costumes as I see them. So far, my favorite has been a little boy dressed as the Geico money stack. He had a piece of cardboard sticking out so far on each side, and the eye balls popped up off the cardboard right in front of his face. His mom was holding his arm and helping him walk up and down our stairs and walk. I asked whether he could see and his mom sighed and said, "yeah, we didn't think about that!" Awesome costume, but poor kid!

Sooo...here goes:

Geico money stack
Hot dog and ketchup bottle (this one was a mom and dad couple respectively. I couldn't even tell what their kid was!)
Girl in a princess dress with a tiara and a giant sword (she was supposed to be a musketeer, hahaha. Her mom had to clarify)

(Chris here) Katie has been standing at the door literally for about 8 12 16 minutes straight now as one kid after another after another keeps coming up to the door.

(Katie again) Oh my!! This has been crazy!! Chris had to keep getting up to pour more candy in my bowl because there was a constant stream of kids. Now back to the favorites:

Kid on a leash!! (I'm pretty sure he wasn't wearing a costume)
Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion (this was a sibling pair. There have been more than 4 Dorothys so far, but these two were so cute together! Especially the lion)
Little 3-year OCD cowboy. (He grabbed the door after Chris gave him candy and his mom just looked up at Chris and said, "Sorry, he has this thing. He has to shut all doors." So Chris said okay and the kid slammed the door. But since our door is a little strange it didn't shut, so he came back and banged it shut. Haha.)
Twister board (yes, the game)

On another note, some of these parents are LAZY. There is a log-jam on our street because some of these parents are driving their kids from house to house! We live in a neighborhood. The houses are right next to each other! PLUS, we are totally kicking the other neighbors' butts. We still have candy left because we bought a TON and they are dropping like flies. Lights going out and doors being shut all over the place!

Okay, well I'm going to wrap this post up now so we can get on with the evening. It has been several hours of trick-or-treating and kids are only trickling in now vs. the floods we were having earlier. Have a happy Halloween!

Jack-o-Lantern

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:12:00 +0000

On Thursday we decided it was time. Time to bring in the pumpkin and carve it for Halloween. I appreciated all your ideas on what to carve, but here's the thing: your ideas were too complicated for me! We had limited time to get this done. You see, now that basketball season has started, Chris doesn't get home until around 8 PM every night. We were busy on Friday and this morning he has practice and a soccer game, so if he wanted to participate (which I'm not actually sure he did, but I wanted him to participate!) our last opportunity was Thursday evening. Chris did a great job of helping me carve the pumpkin and pretending to be really into it even though The Office and Parks and Rec was on tv :)

By the time we finished eating dinner and did the dishes it was already pretty late, so we decided to go simple: two eye holes, a nose, and a mouth.

We hacked off the top of the pumpkin so we could clean out the insides.

The insides of pumpkins are pretty nasty. I mean, have you ever really looked in there?

And to think we eat that stuff in various forms...

After the pumpkin was hollowed out, we began the carving. I was trying to keep things clean so I tried pushing the first eye hole through into the center of the pumpkin. It didn't work. It got a little stuck so I decided to push it from the inside out and ended up launching it clear across the room!

When we finally got done we were pretty pleased with our results. Looks a little scary right?

But here's the thing. If you look at it from the top down, sure, it looks evil and Halloween-y...

...but if you look at it from the ground up, it just looks like it's smiling.

I mean look at that face. It's so happy.

What do you think? Creepy from a down-ward facing angle; gleeful from an up-ward facing angle. Not what we were going for...

Well, we may not have been overly successful at creating a jack-o-lantern to scare all the little kids tonight, but we sure had fun trying!

Operation Christmas Child

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:19:00 +0000

As a heads up, I know this is a strange post because it's about Christmas during the week of Halloween, and I'm completely bypassing the Thanksgiving holiday all together, but here it is anyway:

A few nights ago we volunteered at the local church here with Operation Christmas Child. It was quite an experience! Everyone brought food and had a potluck and then we grabbed boxes and started filling them. Chris worked hard to wrap his box nicely. I was impressed!

I was especially impressed because the boxes were really hard to wrap. We used a lot of plastic boxes so they could be reused by their recipients for water later and the tape would not stick to the outsides. After we spent much more time than necessary trying to figure away around this problem, the boxes were wrapped.

I think Chris had a much better handle on appropriate gifts for his age group than I did though. I kept forgetting what age I was packing for. I think I should have stuck to wrapping the boxes for other people!

Today's Farmville Moment - Road names

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:48:00 +0000

I hope somebody enjoys this. We live in a place where you can name streets and roads whatever you like because almost no one drives on them anyway! I thought this one was really funny... Tinkling Spring Rd. I don't know whether to feel bad for or congratulate the people that live on that one.

Pumpkins

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:13:00 +0000

Last weekend we stopped on our way coming back into town at a pumpkin place! Halloween is coming up a LOT faster than I realized so we needed to get in gear and get ready.

As you may know from prior posts, Chris is not the hugest fan of stopping at places like this and picking fruits and vegetables...but I love it! AND, I didn't even suggest it this time, he did!

It took me a little while, but I finally found our perfect pumpkin.

Now we just need to carve it...

...any ideas??

Homecoming '09

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:45:00 +0000

This past weekend we headed back to our alma mater for our 2nd annual homecoming as alumni. It's strange to think that this is already our second year out of school. When I walk around campus and see my old dorms and class buildings I feel like I've just graduated, but then when I see everything that has changed since we've left and all that we've done since we've been gone I feel like I've lived entire lives since I was in college.

The campus was in its full fall swing and we had some gorgeous (and humid) weather. Plus, the football team beat JMU (sorry Lauren!). Going there really feels like going home, especially since Farmville is still not quite feeling like home yet!

The best part about going back to W&M is seeing friends again! I was spoiled last year living in such close proximity to a lot of my friends from school, but getting together is always a ton of fun.

On Sunday we went to Chapel and on the way out of town, we stopped back at the Cheese Shop (pretty famous in Williamsburg for those of you who haven't been there!) so Chris could get a sandwich before we left.

It was a great weekend!

Lady Apple

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Speaking of apples, as I seem to be doing often right now, someone brought me an apple at work the other day. I've never seen anything like it before - and I don't know whether you have either - so I thought I would take some pictures of it :)

Here the apple looks normal:

But then when you stick it next to a jumbo-sized paperclip, you can see it most certainly is not!

Or when you compare it to a stack of post-it notes:

Or if you put it in the midst of the jungle that is the out-of-control plant on my desk:

They told me it was considered a "lady apple" and they grow like this! I didn't know how to react when I first got the apple...

But then I decided to eat it anyway...

Yum.

As American as Apple Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:30:00 +0000

Surprisingly, apple pie reminds me a lot of Germany, not the U.S. When I was living in Germany in 2006, one of my good friends taught me how to bake apple pie. And since apples were so cheap and we did a lot of group dinners, we made apple pie often! However, once the weather starts getting a little cooler and football comes back on tv, it's apple pie season no matter what country you live in!

Soon after we went apple picking, we decided it was pie baking time. I love baking (mainly because of all the delicious stuff you get to eat while you're doing it) so we picked out our apples and went to work.

I made the pie crust:

Put it into the pie plate and cut off all the extra sides:

Peeled the apples, cut them up and put them in the pie:

Covered the pie up and cut some holes for baking:

Baked the pie and let it cool for awhile:

And finally...we ate it!

Where I work

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:38:00 +0000

Last week was fall break for students and faculty at the college. Notice I did not mention staff. To give you some perspective, I am one of about 7 staff members in my entire building. At any given time, there are about 30-40 professors and about 300 students in my building, but on my floor (3rd floor) there are only two staff members. Me and one other person. That one other person was out of the office on Monday and Tuesday so that just left me. I was basically alone! I hardly saw anyone all day and it was ridiculously quiet, so I decided to take a couple pictures of my office so you could get a feel for where I work! (Above is the building I work in.)

Let's play a game. Can you spot Chris' influence on my office? I'll give you a hint... it's in the picture directly above this.

The Alternative to Central Heating

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:45:00 +0000

We have oil heat... and radiators... This is a first for me! Everywhere I have lived - in our apartment last year, at my parents' house, in my apartment in college - I've always had some sort of central heating system. I've just never dealt with radiators before. We had not been able to successfully turn on the heat since we moved here, but we hadn't needed it yet. Since the weather took a turn for the worse this past week, we decided to get serious. We called someone to come fill up our oil tank.

When we called, they asked whether our oil tank was above ground or below ground. Thankfully, I was able to tell them the answer, as a few nights prior to this I was outside in the dark doing laundry and completely tripped over the little knob sticking out of the ground marking our tank. Yep, our tank is certainly underground.

Now we have oil in our tank and the heat is running. The one thing I was not anticipating is how utterly creepy the furnace and radiators are. The radiators pop every now and again and when I'm not expecting it, it makes me jump! It's incredibly loud. The pops have even woken Chris up in the middle of the night (Thankfully, I sleep through everything!). Plus, when the furnace starts up in the basement, it makes the strangest noises you have ever heard. I may avoid doing laundry down there until we turn the heat back off in a few months just to prevent the fright of it coming on unexpectedly while I'm down there.

I mean seriously. Look how creepy that radiator looks. Not friendly.

I am pleasantly surprised though with how well the radiators work. We have been keeping the thermostat set at 60 or 62 degrees, but it feels so much warmer.

Too proud? Maybe...

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:22:00 +0000

As part of my job, when a professor is sick or out for the day in my building, sometimes they ask me to cover their class. Believe me, it's not taxing whatsoever. This generally means handing out a worksheet, proctoring an exam, or simply putting in a video and hitting play. The other day, I was asked to do just that. I received very simple instructions: stick VHS into player, press play, wait around long enough to adjust the volume for the students. Simple.

But it wasn't.

I got to the classroom about 5 minutes before class started to get the movie ready. The VCR was inside a cabinet on the wooden podium at the front of the classroom (It opened down-ward...think of the usual book drops that are outside public libraries). I crouched down and pulled but it wouldn't open. I pulled really hard and it just would not come open. Being somewhat stubborn, I did not ask for help. To put this in perspective, I'm working at an all male school. I did not want to openly admit in a classroom full of 18-22 year-old males that I couldn't open a little cabinet door. So I sucked it up, put both hands on the handle and yanked and the thing slammed open.

Unfortunately in the process I bent the nails on both of my thumbs backward and it hurt. A lot. I looked down in shock and saw that both of my nails were completely purple. I shoved the VHS in, hit play and stood there willing myself not to tear-up. Taking deep breaths, I adjusted the volume appropriately and slipped out of the classroom door quietly. I think I should have learned a lesson from this experience to not act tougher or stronger than I actually am or physical pain may ensue...but I'm not sure it will stick. I think brief pain may be a preferable alternative to developing a reputation of being a helpless female hardly older than many of the students here...

Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:11:00 +0000

I like to make pancakes into shapes. My family knows this. You might also know this due to a previous post and maybe even another previous post. This means that when we're all at the house together and my mom is making us breakfast, sometimes I step in for a minute to take some requests.

Since it was my mom's birthday, I made her a birthday cake, including candles:

Lauren asked for a star:

My dad asked for a four-leaf clover... or maybe someone else asked for it on his behalf:

Eric usually comes up with the most ridiculous requests. He likes to push my pancake-shaping limits, and let me tell you - I always accept the challenge. This was actually awhile ago, but he asked for a pyramid. I completed the task with flying colors. Base and four sides; which all fit together surprisingly well:

Although now that I look at it again, it kind of looks more like a volcano to me...

Driving around Farmville - the positives

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:10:00 +0000

Before people start thinking that the driving around here is terrible, let me point out the fact that when you're driving in the day time, no matter where you go or what season you're in, everything is gorgeous! There are no highways down here that don't have trees growing along both sides of them or a river running beside it. Every single bend in the road holds something new. Here are some pictures from various drives we've taken over the past couple months to prove it.

Honestly, I know one-lane roads are more inconvenient (especially when you get stuck behind a slow driver, or a tractor... believe me, it happens.) but I definitely wouldn't trade them back in for the concrete highways and traffic of northern VA.

Driving around Farmville - the negatives

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:05:00 +0000

As we were driving home at the end of the weekend we started to realize one of the many downsides to it getting darker earlier. The thing is, when you live a few hours away from family, unless you leave around noon, you're driving at least part of your trip in the dark...always. Now, this wouldn't be a huge problem except for the fact that we live in about as rural VA as possible (I mean, we don't even have a Target!!) and every road leading into town is one-laned.

Added to that mix is the fact that over the last few months I have become one of the absolute worst backseat drivers of all time. I know it's annoying and I know Chris is a great driver, but I seriously can't help it! I get so stressed and anxious in the car that I can't help but point out that he may be following a little too closely, driving a little too fast, not slowing down as quick as I'd like, etc. In my head I'm saying, "Chris is a good driver, just take a deep breath and we'll be home," but the other paranoid thoughts have a mind of their own and just LEAP out of my mouth. I really can't control it!

Anyway, Chris was driving, and being the good sport that he is, he took all my comments with a tight-lipped smile and a nod. But seriously, driving several hours at night down single lane highways is not easy for anyone... so I tried to focus my energy elsewhere than his driving. I spent the majority of the drive playing "spot the deer" out the window of the car. Every time I saw one, I would calmly say, "deer" and gauge Chris' excellent response time. This was perhaps even more annoying (if possible) than my earlier comments, but more relaxing for me. We seriously saw at least 10-15 deer on the way home. It was like driving through land mines (hence the Minesweeper picture!).

As you can imagine, Chris breathed a huge sigh of relief when we finally turned onto our street in our quiet neighborhood. That is until he had to slam on the brakes in front of our house because there were deer ON THE SIDEWALK. IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE! Poor Chris. I had so much energy when we got home and can you imagine that all he wanted to do was sleep? Too much excitement for one night, I guess...

Recruiting

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:45:00 +0000

I thought some of you may be interested in seeing Chris in action recruiting. Last week I stopped by his office because I got off work a little earlier than him and was waiting for him to finish up so he could give me a ride home. While I was waiting in his office, a recruit that he had left a message with earlier called him back! I was so impressed listening to him talking about the kid's grades and interest so far. The season starts on Thursday already! Ah!